introduction adjustable front beams?

[didi]

Who know when the first adjustable front beams or weld in adjusters are coming into the aircooled vw world? 
This information could be very helpful to pass my car with an adjustable front beam through the swiss road traffic licensing department.

Many thanks in advance for your help

Didi

[Nico86]

Don't know about it, but if you need some information about having a street-legal vw in Switzerland ask Cagero. http://www.cagero.com

[didi]

thanks nico, it isn't a problem to get the car street legal, i want to pass the car as historic car and because this, i've to attest that this modification was available around 1960.

[Nico86]

Ok I see what you mean. I know a car with the FIA historic rally car pass but it's a 1302, so no adjustable beam .

[Bruce]

...., i've to attest that this modification was available around 1960.

The very late 60s at best.  mid 70s for sure.  If you're looking for proof of an adjustable beam in 1960, you might as well give up right now.
Put a stock beam in it, then after you get it certified, put the adjustable beam in it.

[Nico86]

Put a stock beam in it, then after you get it certified, put the adjustable beam in it.

Not that easy. When you get the FIA passport for historic races, everything that has been done on the car is certified. You can't do what you want or put the parts you want, the FIA gives you a document specifiying what you have to modify on the car, and it's very limited with beetles.

Then when you register for a historic event, the car gets a techinical inspection and everything must be ok with the passport, or you can't race with the car.

Sometimes (everytime ) it's sutpid : for example for a 1302 with the rally passport, you can only put disc brakes on the front, it would be much safer with 4 disc brakes, but as it's not certified by the FIA, you can't.

Didi, you want to have the passport for rallys or track races ? If it works the same as the french automotive federation, the swiss federation follows the FIA rules for historic cars.

[Bruce]

You could do a manual cut-n-turn of the stock center block.  It would be non-adjustable, but would be lower.  You would have to grind the welds down smooth so they couldn't tell.

[Nico86]

You could do a manual cut-n-turn of the stock center block.  It would be non-adjustable, but would be lower.  You would have to grind the welds down smooth so they couldn't tell.

That could be done, if it's look original it could be ok.

[Fasterbrit]

In the 'good old days' some people used to pull a couple of leaf springs out of the beam to lower the front end. Crude, but it worked. I wouldn't recommend this approach for a street driven car though...

[didi]

i've to precise my current problem:
my 56' oval bug has a swiss specific steet legal status called "veteranenfahrzeug". something like the german "H" state. with this state, you must only check the car every 6 year instead every 2 years. and you can drive up to 99 cars with on license number.
to get this specific state, everything must be original or the this modification was available or common around the introducion date of the car.

now at the periodic inspection check, the inspector noted that it isn't an original front beam.  although the front was adjusted on stock height, the inspector will not again give the "veteranenfahrzeug" state.
on the same car is a dual carb riechert system mounted. with a simple magazine print out from 1956 / AutoMotor Sport, the inspector accepted this modification and the car got the "veteranenfahreug" state.

your proposed modification is for sure a good idea and if properly done, he couldn't tell it. my idea wa to modifiy the adjustable beam that way to have only two positions, a stock height and a lowered position. that way no adjuster plate is needed and can cut off. the second hole must be cached( filled with black silicone, a long screw locking plate or something else).

[Christoph]

there´s a german book called "jetzt mache ich ihn schneller" from 1965 with a picture of an adjustable beam on page 193. the text beside the picture says that the adjuster was delivered by porsche.
i don´t have a scanner, but if you´re interested, i will try to get a scan next week.

[Christoph]

gute fahrt 1/1964
http://www.kaeferfriseure.de/upload/pdf/okrasa_rallye_kaefer_bericht_gf_64.pdf

[Nico86]

Ok so it works the same as the FIA certifiying. Everything must be ok with the Gute Fahrt magazine. 

[danny gabbard]

How about a weld in adjuster on the upper tube only, It would be hard to see ?

[Rick Meredith]

In the 'good old days' some people used to pull a couple of leaf springs out of the beam to lower the front end. Crude, but it worked. I wouldn't recommend this approach for a street driven car though...

That's the way my '67 was done. Drove it like that for many years. The ride sucked though.

[didi]

In the 'good old days' some people used to pull a couple of leaf springs out of the beam to lower the front end. Crude, but it worked. I wouldn't recommend this approach for a street driven car though...

That's the way my '67 was done. Drove it like that for many years. The ride sucked though.

remain there spring comfort with the reduced leaf variant?

[Rick Meredith]

Yes it still had some spring left but I had it right at the limit for the ball joints. The only adjustable front ends that we saw back in '77 were the "Select-a-Drop" and they suffered from other issues.

If I was going to go this way again, I would recommend just pulling the split leaves which will pick up 2-3 inches (50-75mm). My car had 2 full leaves pulled out in addition which got me down about 6 inches/150 mm on the suspension. Ride was terrible but I looked cool! 

[didi]

How about a weld in adjuster on the upper tube only, It would be hard to see ?

Yes, harder to see, but perhaps still detected from the inspector and then i've to check the car again.

[didi]

there´s a german book called "jetzt mache ich ihn schneller" from 1965 with a picture of an adjustable beam on page 193. the text beside the picture says that the adjuster was delivered by porsche.
i don´t have a scanner, but if you´re interested, i will try to get a scan next week.

cool christoph! if possible, please send me a scan next week. the "gute fahrt 1/1964" is already a first good attest to demonstrate this modification for the early link pin front axle! Thanks!

[fredy66]

gute fahrt 1/1964
http://www.kaeferfriseure.de/upload/pdf/okrasa_rallye_kaefer_bericht_gf_64.pdf

i think that Posher have  adjusters so you can get that on paper

[didi]

my 56' oval bug has got last week a new swiss specific street legal status called "veteranenfahrzeug".
with the printouts from "gute fahrt, jetzt mache ich ihn schneller, auto motor sport" the adjustable front beam and the riechert dual carb system are now accepted.

many thanks for all your assist.
didi

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[Nico86]

Cool ! 

[Rick Meredith]

I love Chromies with no caps on black drums.